# sullen

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈsʌlən/ · frequency rank #41,399

## Definitions
1. Having a brooding ill temper; sulky.
2. Gloomy; dismal; foreboding.
3. Sluggish; slow.
4. Mischievous; malignant; unpropitious.
5. Obstinate; intractable.

## Etymology
From Middle English soleyn, from Anglo-Norman soleyn (“alone”), from Old French sole (“single, sole, alone”), from Latin sōlus (“by oneself alone”). The change in meaning from "single" to morose occurred in Middle English.

## Easily confused with
- **sully** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sullen-vs-sully)
- **sultan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sullen-vs-sultan)
- **sunken** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sullen-vs-sunken)
- **swollen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sullen-vs-swollen)
- **salle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/salle-vs-sullen)
- **stolen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stolen-vs-sullen)
- **sudden** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sudden-vs-sullen)
- **seller** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/seller-vs-sullen)
- **spleen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spleen-vs-sullen)
- **silken** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/silken-vs-sullen)

## Common misspellings (7)
`slulen`, `ssullen`, `suleln`, `sulen`, `sullenn`, `sullne`, `usllen`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sullen